


Pain, Rage and Panic

by hecksalmonids



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Oneshot, it’s not exactly hurt/comfort cause it’s really just akira hugging ryuji and crying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:49:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22588951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hecksalmonids/pseuds/hecksalmonids
Summary: During a Mementos excursion, a Shadow catches the Thieves off balance and one hits Ryuji with an instant kill attack.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 169





	Pain, Rage and Panic

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off a moment that happened in my NG+ game a few days ago, where Ryuji got hit with a Hama while I was testing out the Alice persona and I thought “shit, I could write about this”.  
> This is my first completed fanfic ever!

No matter how well Ryuji knew their leader, Akira still managed to find ways to surprise him.

The torrential rain in the real world had affected the environment of Mementos that day in a way that Ryuji couldn’t discern, and he found himself caught off guard by his surroundings for a reason beyond his comprehension.

It didn’t seem to bother Akira, however — not that he let on, until it was too late. A missed turn, a path slightly off course, by all counts a careless mistake for someone like Akira, and the amalgamation that marked the existence of shadows in Mementos had caught them by surprise. The bus had been knocked on its back, and the four Angels within the Shadow spread out around the winded Thieves.

“Morgana, what do these shadows d-“ Ryuji saw a sphere of cards materializing around Makoto, and his faulty memory clicked. Fear shot through him. “Shit! Makoto!” 

The shrewd team advisor managed to dodge the instant kill attack in time, and Ryuji let out a sigh of relief — quickly realizing his mistake as the same sphere of cards materialized around him.  _ Oh, no… _

Ryuji was reckless, but he wasn’t foolish. He knew there was no dodging the attack, not when it had caught him off balance like this. All he could do was bear the pain as best he could. So he stood there, muscles tensed, as the cards broke their formation and shot toward him. 

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the first card hit, cutting through him in a way no real-world card could — as if it was tearing into his soul. Ryuji wanted to cry out, but the sound wouldn’t form. The cards kept hitting him, one after another, until he had to shut his eyes to keep them from watering. He fell to his knees, every cell in his body screaming at him to just give up, his pain-addled mind searching for anything to grasp on to.

It settled on his teammates fighting beside him — one of them in particular. Their “fearless leader”, as Morgana enjoyed calling him, Akira Kurusu was fighting right beside him in this battle. His face flooded his thoughts, glued onto the inside of his eyelids, as if encouraging him to hold on. 

_ You can bear this, Ryuji. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met. _

Ryuji knew statements like that from Akira could only ever exist in his imagination. A person as incredible as Akira would have much better people than him to care for. Despite that, the words gave him strength, and he found that imagining Akira’s smile made the cuts hurt less. Ryuji had long since accepted his love for the boy, ever since the castle foyer where he awoke to Captain Kidd and became more honest with himself. Even though he had no expectation or belief that Akira would share his feelings, Ryuji was ever thankful just to be by his side. The torrent of cards mattered nothing in the face of the Joker who had his heart.

At last, the pain subsided, and Ryuji was barely hanging on to life. Turning his head to the side, he could make out a figure barreling toward him in his swimming vision. Before he could lift his weapon, he heard a faint call of “Diarama” from the same direction. His pain immediately lessened like magic, clearing his vision, and he realized the hazy figure had been Makoto, running to heal him.

More pressing than her, however, was Akira — in a rage unlike anything Ryuji had ever seen. 

“YOU’LL DIE WHERE YOU STAND, YOU SNIVELING VERMIN! ALICE, KILL THEM ALL!” Ryuji had seen Akira’s anger before. He had witnessed Akira awaken to Arsene, all those months ago in Kamoshida’s Palace. He’d never seen a fury this strong from him. 

Akira had never used this Persona before, and Ryuji could feel the malevolence emanating from it despite its childish appearance. The attack had incredible lethal power, and Ryuji watched as all four Angels dissolved into black vapor in a flash. Just like that, the battle was over. The creatures that had brought Ryuji to the brink seconds before had vanished from existence.

Ryuji was too dumbfounded by the swift death of the Angels to notice Akira running toward him. As he absentmindedly allowed Makoto to help him to his feet, a firm grip on his shoulders jolted him out of his stupor, and he turned to find that Akira’s unmasked eyes were inches from his own. “Ryuji. Ryuji! Are you okay?” His voice was hurried, out of breath — perhaps even panicked, which shocked Ryuji. 

He let out a shaky breath. “Holy shit, dude, the hell was that spell? I’ve never seen you kill four Shadows that fast.”

Akira did not respond. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Ryuji, pressing his face into the boy’s shoulder. Ryuji could feel Akira’s quiet sobs shaking his body, amplified by the embrace.

If Akira’s panic had shocked Ryuji before, this reaction completely floored him.  _ Akira was this worried about me? _ He returned the crying boy’s embrace, putting his arms securely around him as his mind formed the thought he never let himself believe until now.

_ Could he really feel something for me? _

Perhaps in the realm of the supernatural, where they fought beasts in a world borne from cognition, there could be truth to his imagination. 

**Author's Note:**

> “Bruh moment.”  
> “You almost died.”  
> “MAJOR bruh moment.”


End file.
